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WYDEN, SMITH SECURE FEDERAL
FUNDS
FOR OREGON NATURAL RESOURCE PROJECTS
Dollars will be used for forest management,
land acquisition,
wildlife refuge improvement and other projects
July 29, 2005
Washington, DC – U.S.
Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) today announced
Congressional appropriations of more than $13 million for Oregon
natural resource projects in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2006, and
an additional $5.6 million for projects in which Oregon will participate.
The funding is included in the FY 2006 Interior appropriations
conference report, approved by both the Senate and the House of
Representatives this week. The bill now goes to the President
for his signature.
“This Federal support
will help Oregon not only protect its natural resources, but also
increase public enjoyment of our lands while expanding economic
opportunity around our state,” said Wyden. “So many
people are working to bring worthy projects to fruition across
the state – not least among them Oregon’s outstanding
First Lady, Mary Oberst, whose tireless advocacy helped bring
the Kam Wah Chung project to our attention.”
“These commitments enhance
the quality of life in Oregon’s small towns and rural communities,”
said Smith. “We’ve focused on protecting Oregon’s
storied natural beauty, while creating new opportunities for hardworking
Oregonians.”
Following is a list of Oregon
projects funded by the bill:
• $3.9 million will be
provided for the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge for the
construction of a visitor center and an administrative building.
• $3.35 million will be
provided for expansion of the Clark R. Bavin National Fish and
Wildlife Forensic Laboratory.
• The Fish and Wildlife
Service will receive $2 million toward the acquisition of the
Barnes Ranch property as part of the Upper Klamath Lake National
Wildlife Refuge. The property will be managed in conjunction with
the adjacent Agency Ranch property, owned by the Bureau of Reclamation,
to provide additional water storage and juvenile sucker habitat
in the Upper Klamath Basin.
• $1.6 million will be
provided for land acquisition by the Bureau of Land Management
on the Sandy River. This will assist in the creation of a free-flowing
river from Mt. Hood to the Columbia River Gorge.
• $750,000 will be provided
for facility upgrades of the Winchester Bay Sanitary District.
• $650,000 will be provided
to the Bureau of Land Management to acquire the 640-acre Mendieta
tract, which straddles 2.8 miles of the North Fork Owyhee National
Wild and Scenic River.
• The Forest Service will
receive $500,000 for the Hinkle Creek Paired Watershed study to
investigate the effects of contemporary forestry practices on
water quality, fisheries and aquatic habitat at the scale of a
complete watershed.
• $400,000 will available
as a National Park Service Save America’s Treasures grant
for building restoration of the Kam Wah Chung and Co. Museum in
John Day, Ore.
• $250,000 will be provided
for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality site assessment
program.
The bill also provides additional funds that Oregon will share
with other states:
• $1.6 million for the
Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. Oregon will share in these
funds with the state of Washington.
• $1.5 million for land
acquisition in the Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia Gorge is
the second-most recognized Lewis and Clark attraction in the country.
Oregon will share in these funds with the state of Washington.
• $1 million for Forest
Service Region 6 facility disposal projects. Oregon will share
in these funds with the state of Washington.
• $1 million will be provided
for trail improvements along the Pacific Crest Trail through Oregon,
Washington and California. $500,000 is also provided for the acquisition
of private property from willing sellers along the trail in the
three states.
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